How do you teach a child to code? Don't tell them they're coding

Learning to code can be challenging, but Fab Lab wants to showcase technology that can get kids involved. For almost three years, it has been running a startup space helping companies prototype, programme and build innovative devices.

At WIRED Next Generation, Fab Lab brought along a self-driving robot to teach kids to code. The 'ozobot' follows black lines on a complex map, and in order to get it to the end, stickers must be placed in a particular order to control the bot and get it to do specific things such as a u-turn, turbo speed, or stop. Parents and kids got involved, trying to send the robot in the right direction while the ozobot spun around the track. Although it’s simple enough for kids as young as 12 to get the hang of, only the best completed the challenge.

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The aim of the product is to give children an insight into how they can control a machine and hopefully, eventually, be the people behind the creations when they get older. “It’s to encourage kids into coding and to illustrate how they can instruct a machine in a playful way, so they can get into coding,” explained Josue Vivas, lead technician at Fab Lab. “They don’t know that they are coding. Sometimes it’s challenging but it’s quite surprising how people and parents engage in the activity.”

Fab Lab runs a startup space in London, but here at WIRED Next Generation, it’s all about inspiring kids to get more involved in the technology they love. “We want to make a space for people to build their own stuff, to create their own reality. We want to offer the education side to get them into coding and making and designing their own toys.”

“The coolest thing would be to create an IoT technology hub when people come and innovate for today,” explained Vivas. “We want people to think about what they can do, and and how they can implement it now.”